I want to start by saying it is a tremendous honor to be a part of this community. And today it’s a tremendous honor to be tasked with leading the ShiftCon community into the future.

The members of the Shiftcon community are truly the thought leaders in the green and wellness industry and I’m proud of you. Through your platforms, you share vital information that affects our health, community, and our planet. You dispel myths and misinformation. You start and lead movements that change the world. You are amazing!

ShiftCon was born out of the idea that together we can create a profound impact on the world around us. We can literally shift the way we eat, raise our families and our impact on the environment. That shift begun with us coming together and leveraging our collective voices for change under the leadership of Leah Segedie. And today, as the leadership torch is passed to me, it’s my responsibility to grow the community and include everyone that has been left out of the equation. This is an exciting time for us because we get to create a NEW TABLE where more people are invited that impacts the health and wellness of everyone.
The purpose of the ShiftCon community is ultimately to change the grocery store one brand at a time. As Shifters promote better products, people purchase better products and other brands change their ingredients and processing to catch up with a wellness-savvy consumer. And thus, the ShiftCon community is the ultimate cornerstone of citizens voting with their dollar. And influencers voting with every share.

As social media influencers, ShiftCon Shifters collectively reach 10 Million through their blogs and over 8 Million in social media. We are a powerful community with influence that dominates this space.

Audiences rely on us to learn how they can make a difference in their lives and families and communities. Whether searching for ways to recycle, ingredients to avoid in cosmetics or how to make natural soap, members of the Shiftcon community are the ones providing those solutions. And we are changing lives by sharing, engaging and helping people feel supported as they strive to be healthier and more eco-friendly.

I’ve been a blogger for nearly 10 years. And as a “Chiro-wife” and mom of two, I find these topics addressed by the ShiftCon community to be the most critical to my family’s everyday life. I truly believe that the Eco-wellness industry has made incredible strides, however, I find myself deeply troubled by certain aspects of the industry that are still lacking as we look to the future. And that is where we come in. Shifters have the ability to change the industry and make a BIG impact here. We can create the SHIFTS needed to propel this movement further.

Right now, we are facing certain issues such as a lack of transparency in the information being shared with the public, a lack of affordable organic & safe alternatives for the typical family, and particularly, a lack of diversity and representation in the industry.
It’s highly unfortunate that such basic things as healthy food, non-toxic ingredients, etc. are considered “privileged.” And I’ll be the first to agree that they absolutely are! There are communities where families struggle to just put food on the table, much less worry about whether or not it’s non-GMO food or certified organic or grass-fed beef or whatever. And there’s a real tragedy in this whole system. The notion that if you are not wealthy, you somehow don’t deserve the option to protect your family’s health and well-being, to eat real food, or not be subject to environmental triggers and toxic air is an incredible tragedy.

So, while many people think the eco-wellness movement is just about flaunting privilege, I want people to understand that it’s about environmental justice for all. It’s about changing the laws and systems in place that are further widening the gap between certain communities. It’s such an important topic because it affects ALL communities, but yet certain communities have been overlooked and downright left out of the conversation. This is the shift we need to make in 2019 and I’m ready to lead the charge.

My hope for ShiftCon 2019 is that it will be a place where we can build a bigger table that fits everyone. We need everyone on board to make the changes we really want to see in the future! And we will continue to have these important conversations that not only shift perspectives, but change the world. Together, we will continue to fight for transparency, accessibility and environmental justice for all.

Shift happens…are you ready for it?

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Lindsay Dahl is a seasoned campaigner and coalition builder and has been at the forefront of successful public health and environmental advocacy campaigns for over ten years. Currently Lindsay is the Director of Policy and Partnerships with Beautycounter, a safe skin care company dedicated to disrupting the beauty industry and reforming our out of date cosmetic safety laws. Lindsay helped start and run the nation’s largest campaign working to protect American families called Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. Before rolling up her sleeves in Washington D.C., Lindsay ran successful state level bans on toxic ingredients in consumer products in Minnesota, where they became the first state to ban the toxic chemical BPA.

Mike Schade

Mike Schade spearheads the Mind the Store campaign which aims to work with the nation’s leading retailers on creating comprehensive chemicals policy. For the previous eight years, Mike was the Markets Campaign Coordinator with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), a national environmental health organization where he led national campaigns to phase out PVC plastic, phthalates, BPA and dioxin. Prior to CHEJ, he was the Western New York Director of Citizens’ Environmental Coalition. Ethisphere Magazine listed Mike as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics for 2007 and the PVC Campaign received two awards from the Business Ethics Network.

Gary Hirshberg

In 1983, Stonyfield co-founders Samuel Kaymen and Gary Hirshberg were simply trying to help family farms survive, protect the environment, and keep food and food production healthy through their nonprofit organic farming school. Just to keep things running, the duo started putting their farm’s seven cows to work making yogurt. They knew they were making a healthy food grown with care; what they didn’t expect was how much people would love it.

Robyn O’Brien

Robyn O’Brien has been called “food’s Erin Brockovich” by the New York Times and Bloomberg, and her story has inspired millions. Robyn was a financial analyst that covered the food industry. Her life changed when her fourth child had an allergic reaction.

Originally from a conservative Texas family, she now lends her analytical skill set, heart and mind to building a better food system and protecting the health of our country.

Anna Lappe

Anna Lappé is a national bestselling author, a renowned advocate for sustainability and justice along the food chain and an adviser to funders investing in food system transformation. A recipient of the James Beard Leadership Award, Anna is the co-author or author of three books on food, farming and sustainability and the contributing author to more than a dozen others. Anna’s work has been translated internationally and featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Oprah Magazine, among many other outlets. Named one of TIME magazine’s “eco” Who’s-Who, Anna is the founder or co-founder of three national organizations and currently runs Real Food Media,which brings together leading food and farm organizations to produce powerful communications initiatives to inspire, educate and grow the movement for sustainable food and farming.

Amy Thieringer is a board-certified Nutrition and Health Coach who created Allergy Release Technique™ (A.R.T.™), an integrative approach and treatment of food allergies. Over the last twelve years, Amy has worked with over three hundred children to conquer their seemingly incurable food allergies—giving them hope where traditional medicine gives up.